You wait ages for a Cotton game, and then six arrive on PS4 at once, celebrating the series' 30th anniversary in 2021. Welcome to the Fairyland, where developer Studio Saizensen has in the cauldron boiled and baked Cotton Fantasy: Superlative Night Dreams (Cotton Rock 'n' Roll in Japan) as an all-star horizontal shmup. The witch Cotton swoops on her broomstick — alongside a fairy called Silk providing protective option satellites — to whimsical tunes through 2.5D background visuals that stretch beyond the expected haunted forests, depicting castle gardens, ancient ruins, an Egyptian Cotton level, and even outer space.
Yet, perhaps this sweet treat of a brand new Cotton game should've been left longer in the oven, as some extras have been cut compared to Cotton Reboot!. While Cotton Fantasy has online leaderboards, it misses out by not including the reboot's two- or five-minute Time Attack modes, or the better value of extras like the X68000 port of the original Cotton.
Furthermore, it only has a Training Mode for each unlocked stage, whereas the option for save states or rewind features would've given the player more choice over their skill progression, as the eight main selectable stages take 45 minutes to complete including anime cutscenes (35 minutes of gameplay). There's also a missed opportunity to have included multiplayer, or expanded the new Argentum Clavem Tea Time stages to adopt Panorama Cotton's style of 3D shooter gameplay, beyond collecting bonuses. With a digital price tag of £34.99/$39.99, Cotton Fantasy's in direct competition with a pricier bullet hell release like PS4's Deathsmiles I･II, too.
The game's best design choice is how its variety of playable characters significantly alters the gameplay mechanics. Cotton Fantasy's Producer, Shinya Nagatomo, told Issue 231 of Retro Gamer magazine that "It's an all-star game with not only characters from other games, but also new systems from other Success games". This means controlling Ria incorporates the risk/reward Buzz System from Psyvariar, and you can unlock playing as the final boss character, Tacoot, with wand flinging abilities. It's these deeper systems, and unlockable stages that make Cotton Fantasy an intricate cute-'em-up that core shoot-'em-up fans will relish mastering and replaying.
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Below are the six Cotton games that have released on PS4 since 2021, with UK prices:
For this Mini Review I've taken into account Push Square's readers who are more generally interested in shoot-'em-ups when considering the £34.99 price tag of Cotton Fantasy, and how it compares to Cotton Reboot!, which is currently on sale at half price on the PS Store until the 1st June.
In my eyes, £34.99 is more tempting for the physical release of Cotton Fantasy rather than buying it digitally, considering that the physical game can already be found for less than £30.
I'm also interested to hear if anyone thinks that releasing six Cotton games within a year on PS4 waters down, or oversaturates the impact of Cotton Fantasy's western launch — even though some of the games have different publishers — for what is essentially an offbeat series in a niche cute-'em-up subgenre.
Ultimately, if you're full-on into horizontal shmups, then Cotton Fantasy is a great purchase, just for the unique mechanics and systems that each character provides, and the unlockable shooter themed stages.
If anyone has any questions about Cotton Fantasy, please send them my way.
@JamieO Thanks for the Review, its crazy that an IP that was dormant for so long got so many releases in just over a year
@IonMagi It's great for someone like who is really into retro games and shmups to have access to so many Cotton games on PS4, but I wonder how it appears to someone who is only slightly interested in the genre.
If I was to recommend a Cotton game to a newcomer, I'd say buy Cotton Reboot! while it's half price, especially because I like the inclusion of the X68000 version of the original Cotton.
In some ways I wish that the retro Mega Drive, SNES and Saturn Cotton games that have arrived on PS4 over the last year could have been compiled together as a collection, although I realise this would be complicated due to different publishers releasing games from the series.
It's not hard to sell a game like Cotton Fantasy to me — I enjoy it enough to be tempted to buy a physical copy, even though I received the review code — but a Cotton collection would've been an easier impulse purchase for someone without any experience of the series.
@JamieO I imported the Asia physical Release that has Cotton Boomerang, Cotton 2 and Guardian Force. Only played Cotton 1 so far but really enjoyed it
You Know What This Game Reminds Me Of Do Any Of You Remember The PS3 Bullet Hell Game Called Gundemonium Recollection.
@JamieO Great review, and I appreciate the supplemental info in the comments. Cotton Fantasy definitely feels a bit bare bones but I’m still enjoying it. At the beginning of the Ancient Ruins stage the camera pans behind Cotton, and for a split second I thought we were going to be treated to multiple shoot em up styles à la Axelay, but sadly that wasn’t the case. Still, I’m all for more cute em ups and will pay a premium to support their release. If Parodius, Cho Aniki and similar series make a comeback, I’ll be very happy, and very poor.
@Areus Yup, that game was brutal in spots, but a lot of fun. I think it got a spruced up PS4 release as well.
@Amnesiac Cheers mate, I think that the way Studio Saizensen has presented Cotton Fantasy is that they've left the best content slightly hidden, because it's really down to spending time with all of the characters, and unlocking all of the stages that pay homage to themes from Success' previous shoot-'em-ups.
The more time people get to spend with Cotton Fantasy, the more they'll discover that they can play these extra levels in sequence from the map, so it feels like a good chunk of new content by following fresh paths for repeated playthroughs.
I'm really enjoying learning each character — I enjoy grazing bullets with Ria's Buzz System, and grabbing enemies to fire back with Kawase's bazooka — so it's the most fun I've had getting close to a Platinum Trophy in a while.
I think Cotton Reboot! did a better job of presenting it's extra content with the Time Attack modes, though, plus including the X68000 retro title on the game's main menu.
Enjoying my time with FANTASY so far. Played the other entries on the store but wished they had redid the other 4 titles in the same way as they did with Cotton Reboot
I'll stick to the TG Super CD version.
@JamieO Took the recommend & went for it. Used to love this genre but didn't pay attention the last couple of years. Loved playing the older Raiden, Gradius, Ikaruga, Xevious, ... Last one I bought was Raiden V on NS, so I'm taking a chance because I like the inclusion of the OG Cotton (Cotton Reboot = €20 for me)
I’ve really enjoyed this series as of late. I’m glad this is translated in English too.
Is deathsmiles digital available in the UK?
@JamieO As always,a quality retro review write up mate,(even when restricted to a "mini" one!). I love the visuals,but agree the more basic ports like this one lacking basic features like rewind/fwd wind like say Digital Eclipse's Disney Collection (or being a compilation),makes them look like a cheap effort as far as value for $$ goes. 🤔
Guessing the physical versions are Strictly Limited or ININ? They have a nasty habit of charging like a wounded elephant at the same price digitally as they do their physical versions more's the pity!
Will have a look at Reboot though it'll probably still be $35 down under even 50% off!,judging by the UK
price!
Great article - thanks! I'm old ,so yes schumups are definitely a thing for me and I remember the cotton series well.
I'm a little concerned so many have released in such a short time - it just confuses a punter like me until I just play the arcade originals instead.
However, there's some new stuff here I'd like to try so maybe I will dip in!
@Pusher2021 Cool, I'm glad to hear you got a good PS Store sale price for Cotton Reboot!.
While the chunky 2.5D polygon background visuals in Cotton Fantasy allow for more dynamic locations, like flying battleships and outer space carnage, I personally prefer the modern 2D style of Cotton Reboot!. The reboot's graphics are more consistent with the series' cutesy spooky, fun horror roots, too.
I recommend the Time Attack modes in Cotton Reboot!, as well, which is why I was disappointed that a caravan mode wasn't included in Cotton Fantasy. You can improve your skills quickly by chasing high scores in two or five minute blasts, although amassing screen filling combo icons is visually overwhelming, even more so than when the screen gets hectic in Cotton Fantasy.
If you want a palate cleanser from the remake's screen-filling chaos, it's worth spending time with the 1993 Sharp X68000 conversion of the first Cotton to get that old-school shoot-'em-up feel that you mentioned.
@Dan_ozzzy189 I remember you were talking with @Amnesiac about Deathsmiles I･II releasing on PS4 in the comments section of my PS5 Gynoug review, back in December last year.
City-Connection released it on the UK's PS Store on 15th December 2021 for £32.99, although I didn't buy it digitally.
Following reading your conversation about it, I actually ordered Deathsmiles I･II from Strictly Limited Games instead, but my order is still listed as 'Unfulfilled' at the moment.
@JamieO I took Kawase for a spin last night and the grab mechanic is fantastic! I lost count of how many times I bought it trying to snare an enemy, but it was entertaining enough that I didn't mind.
I hope your Deathsmiles order gets to you - I'm sure it will be worth the wait. While you're biding your time, the Toaplan Arcade Garage featuring Flying Shark and Fire Shark released on the Japanese PS Store not too long ago. None of the colorful fun of Cotton, but excellent old school shooting in a package that sets the standard for retro releases in terms of options and extra content.
@Amnesiac Fair play to you, you clearly love your 2D shooters, and you always have quality shoot-'em-up recommendations.
Keep enjoying Cotton Fantasy — my Platinum has just popped, and it turned out to be much more accessible than I realised. I wasn't really Trophy hunting, so I spent a lot of time concentrating on playing as Cotton initially, but it was spending longer with every single character that made the Platinum unlock naturally.
Cotton Fantasy's unlockable shmup themed bonus stages are a really nice homage to Success' history too, like Port City (Cotton), Dandelion Fluff's Hill (Cotton 2), Gemisch ward (Sanvein) and Earth V (Psyvariar) and they're all appreciated.
Have fun with the Toaplan Arcade Garage collection, too.
**** Note that this is the first time I've tried to hide a spoiler message in text on Push Square, so I hope I've done it correctly!
@Robocod Cheers right back at you for your kind comment, as always.
I looked into it, and Cotton Fantasy is still available at Strictly Limited Games as a physical version for both PS4 and Switch.
However, there is another separate Cotton Fantasy physical release with ININ noted as the publisher on its cover listed in a number of online UK shops (Amazon UK, Base, ShopTo and The Game Collection), but while many are cheaper at £28, a number of the sites don't have it in stock, yet.
Hopefully, Australian shoot-'em-up fans have similar options for purchasing a physical version of Cotton Fantasy, and Cotton Reboot! is on sale for a good price on the Aussie PS Store, too.
@JamieO Ended up checking PS Prices,& yep Cotton Reboot about $28AU so might have to bite the bullet. The tricky thing with Limited Run,& Strictly Limited etc.,is the collections can be cool, but even if you just go with a standard copy,being situated Down Under the "worldwide shipping" rates for both are painful!
Been facing the same dilemma regarding the SLG Wonder Boy Anniversary collection for the same reason vs the ININ/Digital offering having far less games in their collection.
In Limited Games case,never even saw a digital PSN release of Night Trap 25th Anniversary down here,but Switch owners did!
Apparently the long-delayed Turrican Anthology with the extra in game map options etc.,might end up getting a digital release "in some form",according to a Youtube FAQ SLG did a couple of months ago,so fingers crossed!
I just prefer situations like the TMNT Cowabunga compilation where you get the same content regardless of physical/digital. Keeps everyone happy then!
@Robocod We've actually been discussing this topic since my Turrican Flashback review was published in February last year. Just look at these 2021 quotes from both us below to demonstrate that this is an ongoing dilemma:
I succumbed eventually, because I bought the standard physical versions of both Turrican Anthology Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, which was expensive for me. Deciding to buy Turrican Anthology Vol. 2 ended up being a consequence of enjoying talking about the Amiga 500 so much with you, as this made me want to have a physical version of the Amiga's Turrican 3 even more.
I still feel that all of these games could've been compiled in one collection, but if retro gamers like me end up buying it anyway, then I guess that the limited number of copies produced makes it a seller's market.
Push Square has contacted me about my next review, which is under embargo, but it looks like this subject is going to continue to be topical well over a year after we first discussed it.
@JamieO Apologies for the delay back mate! For some bizarre reason couldn't login to Push Square on my pc so given up & got onto my Android phone!
Been a long time coming with a lack of communication from Factor 5,(albeit this being a spare time project seemingly between some working fulltime at Epic).
Anyway, look forward to what's next on the review radar!👍
Agreed,also I'm not against smaller indies & retros getting small batch physical copies if its a means of preservation for games that normally wouldn't get one especially these days.
But paywalling game content/extra game versions behind a physical edition is a real turn off when they're denying a bigger audience!
Like you said,always an interesting concept much like the games themselves!😁
@JamieO cheers. I had it on my xbox and have a ps4 Pro and ps5 digital, but I am planning on giving my pro to my step daughter. I'll maybe check them out in a sale.
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